Pre-Trial Hearing For Accused Chris Kyle Killer

STEPHENVILLE (CBSDFW.COM) – America’s deadliest sniper was shot and killed at a North Texas gun range earlier this year. On Monday, the man accused of pulling the trigger will be back in front of a judge in Stephenville. Erath County sheriff’s deputies are expected to take Eddie Ray Routh to the courthouse under tight security for a pre-trial hearing.

Routh has been charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the deaths of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and Kyle’s friend, Chad Littlefield. According to officials, Kyle and Littlefield were at a gun range on February 2 to help out Routh, who was reportedly having problems after serving in Iraq.

Routh made his first court appearance last month, when he entered a not guilty plea. Routh’s defense attorney said that his client’s mental competency is still an issue. It is not known if the defense will change the plea to reflect insanity.

The trial is scheduled to begin on October 21.

The purpose of Monday’s hearing is for both sides to go over the pre-trial motions. The judge will rule on legal issues that must be decided before the actual trial starts.